Description: Woody, deciduous, climbing vine; leaves alternate, ovate to round, abruptly sharp-pointed and glossy; small greenish flowers occur in clusters in the leaf axils; yellow, papery coat surrounding capsule splits to reveal red-orange fruit in leaf axils in fall. American bittersweet (C. scandens) is similar but fruit is reddish, with orange papery coats, and in terminal clusters, not in leaf axils.

Threat: Asian bittersweet climbs up and overtops trees, making them more vulnerable to windthrow; twining stems girdle or kill trees; hybridizes with native bittersweet, with the hybrids out-competing the native species.

Asian Bittersweet Fact Sheet

Click here for a printable fact sheet on how to identify and control Asian bittersweet.